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Snapshots: Alexandrov, Barkov, Avalanche

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled forward Nikita Alexandrov from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, the team announced in a press release Monday.

Alexandrov, 22, has suited up in 20 games with St. Louis this season, scoring three goals and adding two assists in his first NHL action. He has also recorded 23 points in 29 AHL games with Springfield. With the Blues making the transition to younger, less-proven players, Alexandrov could be given a chance to stick with the team for the remainder of the season.

Alexandrov has one more season remaining on his entry-level contract and will look to solidify his standing in St. Louis moving forward.

  • The Colorado Avalanche announced the recalls of Brad Hunt, Jonas Johansson, and Ben Meyers from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. All three have been shuffled to and from Denver all season, as the Avs have tinkered with their lineup all year due to injuries. The Avs have made multiple recalls of goaltenders from the AHL in recent days, in addition to adding Keith Kinkaid from the Boston Bruins. Hunt has six points in 31 games for the Avs this season, Meyers has one goal in 31 games and Johansson has played in one game for Colorado this season.
  • The Florida Panthers will be without two forwards for miss Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, as captain Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett have been ruled out for the game by head coach Paul Maurice, the team announced via Twitter. The injuries are not expected to be long-term, as they are both likely to return this weekend. Barkov has 50 points in 49 games this season, while Bennett has 35 points in 56 games.

Snapshots: Bear, Stalock, Sanford

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The Vancouver Canucks will be without Ethan Bear for the next little while, after he suffered an injury last night. Bear was moved to injured reserve today, with Noah Juulsen recalled in his place.

Vancouver is quickly running out of options for a team that is expected to move at least one defenseman at the deadline. Bear joins eight other players on IR (regular or long-term) for the Canucks, including Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Travis Dermott, and Tucker Poolman.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have activated Alex Stalock from injured reserve, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. That is encouraging news after he was ruled out with ocular dysfunction from multiple head injuries for a while. His return means Jaxson Stauber is being sent back to the AHL, despite a pretty impressive performance from the rookie netminder. Stauber went 5-1 in six games with a .911 save percentage.
  • With Nino Niederreiter gone, the Nashville Predators have recalled Zach Sanford from the minor leagues. The big forward has nine goals and 19 points in 32 games with the Milwaukee Admirals but just two points in eight NHL contests so far this season.

Snapshots: Dumba, Olofsson, Boqvist

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The Minnesota Wild have acted as a banker the last few weeks, retaining salary in two transactions to grab some extra draft capital. Given their place in the standings, though, many assume they will do something more significant at the deadline. General manager Bill Guerin spoke candidly about his team today, once again answering specific questions on Matt Dumba:

Look. If someone comes through and offers a boatload for him we’ll think about it, but as of right now, Matt’s playing his best hockey of the year. I would bet that he’s here through the end of the year. I can’t make that promise, but he’s playing pretty good hockey right now. 

Dumba, 28, is on an expiring contract, and despite Guerin’s comments that he’ll be in Minnesota through the end of the season, he once again implied that the team wouldn’t be able to (or wouldn’t even try to) re-sign him in the summer. Minnesota is in fourth in the Central but just four points behind the division-leading Dallas Stars.

  • Speaking of Dallas, they have once again loaned Fredrik Olofsson to the minor leagues, as they do on almost every off-day. The Stars have been banking cap space all season, and today’s addition of Evgenii Dadonov opened up even more room, due to the salary retention by the Montreal Canadiens. The team now has plenty of flexibility going into this week’s negotiations and could add another significant player.
  • Adam Boqvist was scratched from today’s Columbus Blue Jackets game due to a lower-body injury but is only out day-to-day, according to the team. The young defenseman was playing arguably his best hockey of the season lately, registering points in five of his last six games. He was replaced in the lineup by Billy Sweezey, who is making his NHL debut while Vladislav Gavrikov continues to sit out.

Snapshots: Greenway, Jonsson-Fjallby, Avalanche

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The San Jose Sharks are one of the most active teams on the market right now, and it’s not only because of Timo Meier. The team is expected to make several other moves, targeting young, cost-controlled NHL assets if possible. They’ve been linked heavily to Dante Fabbro of the Nashville Predators, and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period also believes they are interested in Jordan Greenway of the Minnesota Wild.

The 26-year-old Greenway is signed through 2024-25 and carries a $3MM cap hit, but his offense has completely dried up this season. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet also referenced Greenway’s availability in a recent 32 Thoughts column, as the Wild try to position themselves for success this season with an eye on some hefty cap penalties coming down the pipe. With just two goals on the season, perhaps the 6’6″ forward doesn’t fit the team’s plan anymore.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Axel Jonsson Fjallby once again, as Nino Niederreiter is now designated as a non-roster player as he deals with immigration issues. The newest Jet is expected to join the club early this week, though this move throws some uncertainty on when exactly that will be. Niederreiter was acquired from the Predators in exchange for a second-round pick yesterday.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have sent Brad Hunt and Justus Annunen back to the minor leagues, as they await their game tomorrow night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite having Gabriel Landeskog on LTIR, the Avalanche have set their cap up to accrue extra space in the meantime. A goaltender will be recalled tomorrow at the very least, though it could be Jonas Johansson if it’s just as a backup.

Snapshots: Coyotes, Beckman, Johansson, Regional Rights

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The Coyotes have elected to take Toronto’s 2025 second-round pick instead of their 2023 third-round selection to complete last year’s Nick Ritchie trade, reports NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston (Twitter link).  Arizona had until yesterday to make the decision.  This means that Toronto now has three draft picks remaining this season with the other two being later-round selections (fifth round and sixth round).  Meanwhile, the Coyotes now have four second-round selections for the 2025 draft.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Wild announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-assigned forward Adam Beckman to AHL Iowa. The 21-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in nine games with Minnesota this season but has 18 goals and nine assists in 43 games in the minors.  They now have one spot open on their 23-man roster.
  • We’re at the time of the year when players on expiring contracts being absent is worth keeping track of. However, while the Capitals were without Marcus Johansson for their game this afternoon against the Rangers, NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relays (Twitter link) that the winger has a non-COVID illness.  Johansson is on an expiring deal that carries a $1.1MM cap hit and has 28 points in 60 games this season which could draw some interest around the league.
  • On the heels of Bally Sports skipping an interest payment earlier this month which is causing some concern for the NHL and the dozen teams with regional rights under that umbrella, another regional broadcaster is pulling the plug. John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal relays that Warner Bros. Discovery, which operates AT&T SportsNet and has a stake in Root Sports, is intending to divest its interests in regional sports rights by the end of March. Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal adds that they’re proposing to the impacted teams (Vegas, Seattle, and Pittsburgh are the NHL ones) that they take back the rights at no fees as long as they sign a release stating there are no future financial claims against the network.  With nearly half the league having their regional rights in question, it’s quite possible this could materially affect the salary cap moving forward.

Snapshots: Capitals, Marchand, Ferguson

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Anything you can do, I can do better. After a report emerged earlier today that the Pittsburgh Penguins have shown interest in Jakob Chychrun, rival Washington Capitals have also now been linked to the Arizona Coyotes defenseman. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Capitals are hoping to “rebuild on the fly” and, after yesterday’s trade of Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway, now have the assets to pull it off if it gets that far.

The Penguins and Capitals are in similar situations, trying to contend as many times as possible while their franchise icons are still on the ice. Neither one is guaranteed to make the playoffs this season, meaning it will be quite the task to retool quickly enough to challenge for the Stanley Cup. In the meantime, the Capitals have recalled Aliaksei Protas from the minor leagues to fill the last vacated roster spot.

  • Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand has been issued a fine for the dangerous trip of Seattle Kraken forward Oliver Bjorkstrand. Marchand owes $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for the incident in last night’s game. The Bruins are lucky, as every time Marchand is the focus of the Department of Player Safety, it could end in a suspension given his long history of supplementary discipline.
  • With the Belleville Senators dealing with several injuries to their goaltenders, they’ve acquired some extra depth. Dylan Ferguson is on his way over from the Toronto Marlies in exchange for future considerations in a minor league deal. The 24-year-old netminder, perhaps best known for his emergency appearance for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, when he was still playing in the WHL, has appeared just five times for the Marlies this year, posting an .888 save percentage.

Snapshots: Marleau, Roy, Olofsson, Murray

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Patrick Marleau spent the majority of his playing career with the San Jose Sharks, and it sounds like he would be open to returning to the organisation in retirement. The legendary Sharks forward is the all-time leader in goals, points and games played for the club. He spent 21 seasons playing for the Sharks, helping them to a Stanley Cup Final in 2016.

Marleau retired following the 2020-21 season and will have his number retired by the team on Saturday night. The city of San Jose was honoring him ahead of his number being retired on Saturday night, and announced Feb. 25 will be Patrick Marleau Day in San Jose. When addressing the crowd, Marleau was asked if he would return to the organisation and said it was something he would definitely be interested in doing. He then joked he would have to find something he is good at first.

  • Nicolas Roy is out of the Vegas Golden Knights lineup with an injury. The center has been listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury as per an update on the team’s Twitter page. The 26-year-old center has 11 goals and 25 points in 54 games this season. The Golden Knights are already a little depleted up front with Mark Stone and Nolan Patrick out long term. It doesn’t sound like Roy’s injury will keep him out for an extended period, but it further weakens the roster as they get set to host the Calgary Flames tonight.
  • The Dallas Stars have sent down a couple of depth players. Fredrik Olofsson and Matt Murray have been loaned to the Texas Stars. Both players were called up on an emergency basis yesterday to face the Chicago Blackhawks. Olofsson had three shots on goal and Murray served as Jake Oettinger’s backup in a 4-3 loss.

Snapshots: Farabee, Kapanen, Barbashev

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Speculation is running rampant with the trade deadline so close, but some interesting tidbits have also started to leak out. Agents and teams alike will reveal things to impact negotiations one way or another. One of those might have to do with Joel Farabee, whose camp has “voiced their displeasure” to the Philadelphia Flyers over how this season has played out, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

Farabee was one of the latest to feel the wrath of John Tortorella, playing just 3:52 against the Calgary Flames on Monday. The 22-year-old is in the first season of a six-year, $30MM contract extension signed back in September 2021 and has just nine goals and 26 points coming off major offseason surgery.

  • Seravalli also reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins recently informed the rest of the league that Kasperi Kapanen is available for trade, as the club approaches a salary cap crunch. Jan Rutta is almost ready to return from long-term injured reserve, meaning a move must be made in Pittsburgh. Kapanen has been made a healthy scratch at times this season and has scored just seven goals in 42 games.
  • According to Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, one player that won’t be scratched to protect his value is Ivan Barbashev. The St. Louis Blues have already made several moves to collect assets, and Barbashev remains one of the last big chips they have to dangle at the deadline. Now 27, Barbashev has ten goals and 28 points in 57 games this season, a disappointing sequel to his breakout campaign a year ago. Still, he is an interesting piece at the deadline, given his physicality and versatility given he can play all three forward positions.

Snapshots: Ovechkin, Konecny, Schmid

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Alex Ovechkin is expected back in the Washington Capitals lineup later this week. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that the Capitals star will return to the Washington area on Wednesday and could make his return to the lineup as soon as Thursday night. The Russian sniper has been away from the team since February 12th, dealing with the death of his father, Mikhail.

The team has told Ovechkin to take the time he needs before returning to the lineup, but Kaplan reports that he will likely return either Thursday or Saturday. The Capitals host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday before taking on the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon. Ovechkin has continued his torrid goal-scoring pace this season with 32 goals and 54 points in 54 games played. He will look to boost the Capitals playoff chances upon his return as they sit just outside the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

  • Travis Konecny will miss tonight’s Philadelphia Flyers contest against the Edmonton Oilers. Flyers beat reporter Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports Konecny has an upper-body injury and will be assessed by medical staff when the team returns home. The Flyers wrap up a four-game western road trip tonight and will be looking to tighten things up defensively after allowing 15 goals in the previous three games. They will miss Konecny’s presence as he is the team’s leading scorer with 54 points this season.
  • The New Jersey Devils have called up goaltender Akira Schmid from the AHL’s Utica Comets as per a team release. Devils reporter Amanda Stein added Mackenzie Blackwood tweaked something in practice this morning, so Schmid will serve as Vitek Vanecek’s backup when the Devils face the Montreal Canadiens tonight.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Lockwood, Jarry

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The NHL released its Three Stars of last week, with Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle taking home top spot. The budding superstar had ten points in four games, including two game-winning goals, reaching a new career-high in scoring with 59 points on the season. Stutzle, 21, is way out in front of the 2020 draft class in terms of scoring, 56 points ahead of second-place Lucas Raymond. While there’s still time for others to catch up, the Senators forward is showing why he was selected so high.

Second and third went to Nathan MacKinnon and Dylan Larkin, respectively, who each had their own excellent weeks. The Colorado Avalanche star scored nine points in four games to take him to 67 on the year (in just 44 games), and the Detroit Red Wings captain put up eight to bring him to 56 this season. With so much speculation surrounding Larkin’s future, his game certainly hasn’t deteriorated. In his last 17 games he has 23 points, and he’s currently riding a seven-game point streak.

  • After several weeks on the sidelines, Vancouver Canucks forward William Lockwood has been activated from injured reserve and loaned to the AHL. He last appeared in a game on January 24, leaving after just six minutes of ice time due to the concussion protocol. The 24-year-old forward has just one assist in 13 games for the Canucks this season and is still looking for his first NHL goal. He’ll likely see a call-up once he’s back in game shape.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry will officially be back in action tonight, giving the team a huge boost for a critical matchup. When healthy, Jarry has been excellent this season, matching a career-high .921 save percentage through 27 appearances. His play will likely determine the outcome for the Penguins in the Eastern Conference playoff race, as so many teams are still within striking distance of the wild card positions.

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